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Singer
Tony Bennett talks to Metro about his duet with the late
Amy Winehouse, the influence of
Frank Sinatra and why he decided to sketch
Lady Gaga nude.

Tony Bennett performed with Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse on Duets II (Picture: Getty)When did you first perform professionally?

When I was 15 in my hometown of Astoria, which is 20 minutes from Manhattan. The best people I’ve ever met live in that town. I got a lot of applause and I decided that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

What influence did Frank Sinatra have on you?

He was much older than me. It was a different kind of music back then, built on quality and creating good songs people would remember forever. There was a moment early on in my career where I got a TV show. I was very nervous and met him backstage at one of his shows and told him how nervous I was. He told me not to worry, that the audience is there to support you and he was right – he taught me the audience is your friend, not your enemy.

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How’s the music industry changed over the course of your career?

When I started, everything was very intimate. We all sang in little clubs. Then Liberace did a big show at Madison Square Garden. It worked for him and it made all the men in the music business book people to play big stadiums. I don’t like to work that way. I still play in intimate halls where the acoustics are beautiful and the whole family can come – not just the young people. You’ve said you don’t like the fame aspect of the industry now – why’s that?

It’s terrible they get the children to think fame is what matters – because they arrive, have success quickly then disappear quickly. You don’t get people with longevity like I have. I started in 1950 but I’m selling more records than anyone else from the US right now. You need to learn to perform well, then you can go with the ups and downs of your career. If you chase fame, you’ll have success for one or two years then someone else comes along and you’re left with a lot of debts. If you learn your craft, then you’ll survive in the business.

Who were you most impressed by on your Duets II album?

Amy Winehouse was a great singer and I also liked working with Lady Gaga but they all impressed me. A lot were surprised by how quickly I work. I do things in three takes at the most. They said: ‘That’s it? You’ve finished?’

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Why do you work that way?

You have to prepare and know what you’re doing but if you keep it to three takes it feels more like a live performance.

What was working with Amy Winehouse like?

She was the most talented singer. She really knew how to sing – she was spontaneous and creative. I couldn’t believe it when, a month after we recorded together, my son told me she had died. I wanted to tell her to slow down because she was so good but I never had the opportunity.

You went through similar drink and drugs problems in the 1970s, didn’t you?

Yes but I stopped because I was told I had a God-given gift and I was ‘sinning against my talent’. Woody Allen’s’ manager told me that. He used to manage Lenny Bruce, who was greatly talented but had heroin problems. I asked him what he thought of Lenny and he said: ‘He sinned against his talent.’ When I heard that sentence, I stopped everything. I’m so grateful I stopped when I did.

You’ve said drugs should be legalised – why do you think that?

When it’s legalised, it would need a doctor’s permit for a certain amount. It would stop the underworld from profiting from it – it creates wars and violence. Legalising it would keep drug use within limits so people don’t die.

Why did you sketch Lady Gaga nude?

It was the right thing to do. I paint every day. Some days I paint models nude – like Michelangelo when he did the Vatican. The sketch I did of her sold for $30,000 and the money went to her charity. She’s a very talented person. I was with her parents recently and they said she’d like to make an album with me. I’d like to do that, too. I’m looking forward to it.

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You’ve painted portraits of people including Ella Fitzgerald. Does painting someone’s portrait mean you get to know them in a special way?

You get to know them as people. I used to go to visit Ella with my daughters and she’d cook for us. It was a beautiful experience. She’d say: ‘Tony, everybody’s here,’ and she was talking about the whole human race. She was very wise.

What’s been your most extravagant purchase?

I’m not that way. I don’t have a boat. I don’t have a car – I don’t drive. I have a nice moderate apartment which overlooks Central Park. I like looking out at the trees and nature – that’s my extravagance. I’m not out to show I have more than anyone else. My son’s my manager, my other son’s my engineer, my daughter sings with me – the most wonderful thing is to be close to my family.